Naruto: Sage Chronicles
by VexedWings
Summary: This is a continuation fiction that takes place after manga chapter 430. It is going to be yaoi with SasuNaru main pairing. The first chapter is a better summary than I could write in here. Rate T for now but will be going up. Please read and review!
1. Prologue

A/N: Hello everyone!! Well I'm new to the fan fiction scene and I am a huge fan of Naruto. This idea just popped into my head and I knew that I had to write it out. So here are a few warnings…

This story will be** yaoi**. If you don't like than don't read. No one is forcing you to and you have been warned.

This story will more than likely have** spoilers** seeing as I am mostly basing this fanfic around the Manga. This story takes place after the 420-430 chapters of the manga. This is after Pein attacks Konoha and Naruto coming to the rescue. So he has his Sage Mode.

The characters will be as IC as plot possible. Sometimes the characters will need to be OOC for the plot and I will more than likely be taking some of these characters out of the norm of what they would normally be doing.

I have no idea what jutsu Naruto is secretly creating so I am making it up. Plus I will be making new jutsu for Naruto and Sasuke as the story goes on.

Lastly there will be a few OC's but they are filler people who don't really have much to do with the story other than I need someone to do something with the main characters.

**Blanket Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters, places, or jutsu. I do however own this plot, any OC's I create, and any jutsu that I make up.

**Naruto: Sage Chronicles**

**Prologue**

_The dust kicked up and blew in the manufactured wind of the blonde haired teen's attack. Anger ran deep through his veins at seeing his beloved village almost completely destroyed. He was late. He had not made it in time to help protect the people that he cared about nor was he in time to protect the village that he one day wished to oversee. _

_The strange mechanical puppet shattered under his fist as his golden eyes flicked across the crater and stared that the ones that were the core of his anger. This puppet had tried to attack Baa-chan. It had attempted to kill the Godaime. _

"_I'm the one you want…right."_

"_Nar..Naruto?"_

"_You should go and have some tea or something. I'll handle this."_

_Black cloaks with red clouds flapped in the wind as Naruto stood up and gave the invaders his complete attention. They would sorely wish that they had never attacked Konoha. They will wish that they never set foot before him. _

"_Kyuubi."_

_A smirk appeared on the blonde's face. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto." He stood to his full height as he crossed his arms over his chest._

"_Pein."_

_A blonde eyebrow rose ever so slightly as one of the many in front of him spoke. Each one eyed him as they slowly fanned out. Naruto could feel their chakra growing but strangely the chakra was swirling through only a few puppets at a time. A fox like grin spread across his face as the two puppets that he noticed with chakra attacked._

_Naruto ignored Tsunade's warning yell. He ignored all the sounds that were around him. He only had eyes and ears for the ones in front of him. He would not be torn down by these things. He would not lose. Pein would die for what he had done._

"_Naruto!"_

_-------------------------------------------------------_

"Naruto-sama?!"

Azure eyes opened as a lithe body shot up from the bed in the small apartment. Said eyes blinked rapidly as the teen tried to figure out why they had been awakened in the first place. His eyes glanced around his apartment as he got his barring. Table with chairs sat in his dining room. Dishes littered the counters of his kitchen. Clothes danced across the floor. The door to the bathroom was slightly ajar as he was never one to close the door.

"Naruto-sama? Are you okay?"

A tanned hand ruffled through his longer blonde hair as he glanced down to his thigh. Sitting atop his leg on the blanket was a small black and green frog. Large curious eyes blinked doefully at him. The teens shimmering eyes wrinkled slightly as a grin spread across his face. "I'm fine Puku. I was just reliving an older memory."

The little frog titled its head as Naruto turned his head towards his window. The sun had yet to crest the horizon. A small smile donned his face. _When I was younger I would have been so mad at the fact that I had been awakened at such an hour. It's amazing how we all change._ "Puku, not that I mind, but what are you doing here?"

Naruto's gaze remained on the window as the little messenger frog leapt from his leg and landed on the window sill. "Did Naruto-sama forget that you left me with Godaime?"

Naruto's crystal eyes flicked to the frog slightly before once again looking out the window. He could just make out people walking along the streets. People that were getting ready for the day to start. "I didn't forget. Did Baa-chan want to see me?"

Puku shook her head, "No. But I was told by Godaime to check up on you."

That drew Naruto's attention. Why would the old woman want to check up on him? He was fine. "I don't think I follow. I'm fine." To prove his point Naruto grinned at the little frog.

"I think she understands that physically that you are fine. But mentally…"

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?!" Naruto clenched the blankets in his fists as he glared at Puku. He knew that he shouldn't be mad at the messenger but there was no one else in the room with him. Plus he did know what Puku was talking about. It was what everyone had been talking about for the past year.

"I didn't mean to offend you Naruto-sama…It's just with everything that has been happening over the past year since Pein attacked…and with you refusing to take the Chunin exam…" Naruto glared at the frog.

"Enough!" Naruto flinched slightly as Puku jumped back in fear. "Sorry Puku. I have my reasons. I know that everyone is wondering why but it's nothing that they need to worry about. You can return to Baa-chan and let her know that I am fine."

Naruto stared down the frog knowing that the little green and black messenger didn't believe him but Naruto knew that Puku would never disobey its 'master'.

"Of course Naruto-sama. I will return to the Godaime." With those words still lingering in the air the frog vanished in a puff of smoke. Naruto sighed softly as he leaned his head against the cool glass of the window.

A lot had happened this past year. After the attack of Pein Konoha was once again suffering. At least this time Konoha had not lost the Hokage. Naruto shuttered as images flashed through his mind. So many people had been killed and the worst part was that a lot of the people that died had died to protect him. If only he had made it sooner.

Some luck did come out of the battle however. Kakashi-sensei had been fatally wounded but as luck would have it he managed to survive. If Sakura-chan had not gotten to him when she did he would have died. Same with Choji's father. But not everyone lived.

Another sigh escaped his lips, fogging the glass in front of him. The village had been in chaos in the aftermath of the attack. Naruto, himself, was drained but at least his injuries had healed very quickly thanks to the Kyuubi's healing abilities as well as the healing abilities of his Sage mode.

Naruto turned his attention away from the outside world as his eyes fell upon his Sage scroll. He had managed to read through almost the whole scroll now and he knew the jutsu that he had read by heart but there was still so much to learn and train. At least one of the jutsu within its secret roll helped the day that Pein attacked.

Long muscled legs swung over the edge of the bed as Naruto got to his feet. With silent steps Naruto padded across the room until he stood in front of the red bound scroll. He gently placed his hand upon the scroll and smiled. _If it wasn't for this scroll a lot more lives would have ended that day. I never truly understood what it meant to be a Sage. I always thought that it meant that I would get physically stronger. I never thought that within this scroll there was medical jutsu._

Naruto smiled sadly. Some of the people that had their souls removed couldn't be saved. If the people had been damaged after the soul had been removed Naruto couldn't anything to help them. But the few that were left unharmed were healed by his summoning jutsu. He was able to summon the soul of the person back to their body. Of course this took up a lot of chakra and he had to rely even more on the chakra of the Kyuubi but it was all worth it just so that he could see Shizune open her eyes and smile softly at him.

Naruto removed his hand from the scroll as he walked across his small living room and entered his bathroom. His head still full of the aftermath of the Akatsuki attack as he removed his night attire and turned on his shower. Steam rose and filled the room as he climbed under the jetting warm water. Rivulets of water ran down his form as he let the water fully awaken him.

The rebuilding of Konoha would have taken place after all the wounded had been tended to if Danzou hadn't attacked. Naruto closed his eyes as the water washed over his face. The leader of ROOT had decided to try a coupe while everyone was distracted from the first attack. By sheer luck they were able to keep ROOT at bay but Baa-chan had been weakened.

Naruto's brow creased as he rubbed his hair into a rich lather. Baa-chan had used up a lot of her chakra and she too had ended up in the hospital but at least Danzou had finally been exposed as the traitor that he was but the biggest surprise was still yet to come. Naruto sighed as he dipped his sud covered head under the water.

Naruto stared at the ceiling of his shower as the foamy bubbles slid down his body as the water washed it from his golden hair. "Sasuke…" The truth. The whole truth about the Uchiha Clan had come to light and with it Danzou's fate as well as the Elder's fate had been sealed. Uchiha Itachi hadn't been the monster that everyone had made him out to be and Tsunade-baa-chan had taken immediate action.

Naruto reached for his soap as a smile, true and genuine, played across his face. Baa-chan had released an official statement stating that Uchiha Itachi had been cleared of all charges. She also released that Uchiha Sasuke was to be given a full pardon and the Hokage gave an official apology to Sasuke. Though, Naruto frowned, Sasuke was still missing.

Naruto worried at his lower lip as he rinsed his body clean of the soap. For a long while the teen just stood under the water. So much had happened but the strangest thing was the way the villagers now treated him. Even though it had been a year he was still in shock at the way he was now treated. His blue eyes closed as he tilted his head back under the water.

Everyone in the village had finally _finally_ recognized him. People waved, smiled, and even bowed to him. They no longer looked at him in fear or said things behind his back. People even called him _Naruto-san, Naruto-sama,_ and in some cases _Sage-sama_. Though whenever he heard his he always asked them to just call him Naruto but they never listened. What really threw him for a loop and, though he would never admit it to anyone, was that girls were now lusting after him. There had been many times that he had been ambushed while training by groups of girls all trying to get his attention. If Sakura-chan hadn't been there most of the time he knew that he would have lost pieces of his clothes. _Those girls are like rabid beasts._ Plus it didn't help that he was sometimes even cornered by guys.

Naruto shivered slightly. _Girls or guys I would like it if they didn't corner me at all!_ Ino had told him it was because he was _sexy_ now. Of course after she said this she blushed, muttered something about flowers, and vanished from sight. He hadn't seen her for three whole days after the incident. Something that Sakura liked to point out whenever the two of them walked past Ino's family's flower shop.

Naruto cracked open his eyes, turned off the water, and climbed out of his shower. The room was still full of fog but that didn't stop Naruto from wiping at the mirror to look at himself. Bright shimmering blue eyes stared at him. His face had lost all the baby fat and roundness to become much more angled. His blonde hair was a lot longer now; reaching to below his shoulders. But it was still short in the front and when it was dry it still spiked out on its own. At least it did when he didn't have it pulled into a tie at the nap of his neck.

Naruto looked down as his body. He was still slightly on the skinny side but he was well muscled from his years of training. The most interesting thing about his body, he thought, was the Kyuubi's seal that now never vanished from his stomach. The black seal stood out upon his bronzed skin like a beacon. But he had long since come to accept the fact that he was the container of the Kyuubi. It was a part of him just like breathing.

Naruto smirked as he closed his eyes. Slowly he pooled, pulled and finally pushed his chakra. Warm wind filled the bathroom as it gathered and swayed around him. Without minutes Naruto was completely dry. A sudden knocking startled Naruto from his thoughts and the sound of a door opening caused him to tense slightly.

"Naruto?"

Naruto mentally shook himself as he sensed the person's chakra. "I'm in the bathroom Sakura-chan."

The sounds of footsteps coming towards the door caused Naruto to tense once again. His clothes were in the other room and since he learned to control the wind with his chakra he had stopped bringing towels into the bathroom with him.

"What's taking you so long? We have to meet Sai and Kakashi-sensei down by the bridge."

"Well…erm…" Naruto quickly locked the door. Though Sakura-chan had never walked in on him in the bathroom he didn't want to have a first time with it.

"Come on Naruto! We're going to be late!"

"Sakura-chan I..I'm…"

"Come on baka spit it out!"

Naruto flushed as he could mentally see Sakura-chan with her arms crossed and her foot tapping. "I don't have any clothes in here with me…they're out there in the room you're in."

Silence was his answer before Sakura-chan's voice once again sounded from the other side of the door. "I'll meet you in the hallway." Naruto listened as Sakura-chan's footsteps echoed throughout the small apartment before the sounds of the front door opening and closing followed.

Naruto sighed as he opened the door and started to get ready. _This is strange. I don't remember having to meet with Kakashi-sensei or Sai today. I was going to go and train…weird._

_-----------------------------------------------------_

Deep dark onyx eyes looked down upon the sweeping valley that housed Konohagakure. Sapphire-onyx hair danced in the early morning wind as the teen silently watched the village. This was the closest that the teen had been to his birth village in over four years. A lot had happened. A lot had been explained and discovered.

Slowly he turned his head to stare down at his sleeping companions. He had ordered them to stay away from him while he traveled to his village but they actually refused. They had told him that they were going to follow him because the shinobi of Konoha couldn't be trusted.

He still couldn't believe that he was here. When the statement about the Uchiha Clan had reached his ears he was, for lack of a better word, shocked. He had never guessed that the Hokage would go public with the findings of ROOT or what the Elders had been hiding. But what really shocked him was the fact that the Hokage had cleared Itachi and had apologized to him, Sasuke.

But the biggest question on his mind was now what to do with this information. He had stayed away from the village even longer because he couldn't decide what he wanted to do. Sure he wanted to attack the village because of what the Elders had done but the Hokage had already taken care of that. Tsunade had not been merciful in her actions.

A smirk tugged at the raven haired teen's lips. The Hokage had stripped the Elders of all their power, influence, and locked them away. No one knew where the Elders were being kept but the Hokage had be quoted as saying that she didn't want the likes of them able to even speak within breathing space of anyone in Konoha. The same went for ROOT and all the ROOT members that had backed Danzou. They were never heard from again.

_But could she have killed them? Were the locked within the shinobi prison? Did she really mean what she said about the Uchiha Clan and that she really was sorry about what had happened? Am I happy with that? Justified with that?_

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he folded his arms across his chest. There was also another reason he had decided to come back. Rumors of Naruto were starting to get way out of hand. There was no way that the dobe was as powerful as the rumors said.

Destroying five out the six Pein's for one. That the blonde was a Sage. That the blonde had managed to create nature jutsu. That Naruto was rumored to have surpassed his teacher, Jiraiya. Some were even going as far as saying that Naruto had managed to even surpass the abilities of the Yondaime. But what frustrated the Uchiha the most was the fact that for the past few years he had been thinking about the blonde air head more and more.

Sasuke growled as he ran a pale hand through his hair. The boy was all he could think about lately. When he had last seen Naruto in the woods the boy had grown and, though Sasuke hated to admit it, he had turned into quite the looker. His golden hair, his sky eyes, and even his fox like grin had matured. His dreams were flooded with past memories of the two of them training, eating together, competing and all around being kids.

But now his dreams were changing. One minute he was dreaming about their twelve year selves and then the next minute he is seeing them as teens and he always wakes from _those_ dreams sweaty, hot, and extremely _bothered_. What was it about the blonde kitsune that called to him? _I need to see him. I need to touch him and make sure that he is real. I need to make sure that he is protected._

Creases appeared on his forehead as his eyebrows drew together. For the past month, while they traveled to Konoha, Sasuke had been plagued with dreams of a different sort. These dreams all started the same. Naruto smiling at him, holding him, kissing him and then everything would change. Naruto would be screaming in pain. Blood was everywhere and no matter where Sasuke looked he couldn't find the blonde haired boy.

"Sasuke-san?"

Sasuke mentally kicked himself for allowing the tall brute to sneak up on him. _Fucking Naruto! Why can't I stop thinking about you?!_ "Jugo shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"The birds have woken me."

Sasuke stared blankly at the village as the giant spoke, "Hn."

"They speak of a strange being living within this village."

A single slender eyebrow rose elegantly as Sasuke's eyes flicked to the orange haired man that now stood beside him. "Really."

Though Sasuke didn't speak the single word as a question Jugo nodded as if he did. "The birds say that there is a pure being living in Konoha. He calls to all things of nature. They go to him often and sing to him."

"This matters because…"

Jugo looked down on the village as he shrugged slightly, "They speak of a golden Sage."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he turned his head towards the giant. He waited for Jugo to say more but he did not. The man's eyes were clouded over slightly and Sasuke knew this to mean that the man was in his own thoughts and that he wouldn't be getting anymore information from him. _Golden Sage?! Could…could the rumors actually be true?! Is the baka dobe really a Sage?!_

Sasuke opened his mouth to question Jugo on what else the damn birds told him when suddenly a wave of nausea passed over him. Everything dimmed slightly as he swayed. The sounds of fighting filled his ears. Metal on metal. The clash and crash of kunai ringed in his ears. The screams of numerous people bled together to become one loud unrecognizable hum.

Sasuke closed his eyes as he pitched forward. But over all the screams, the metal clashing, the sounds of blood hitting solid surfaces there was the sound of one person. It was a male's voice. It was contorted in pain. It pleaded, it called, and it wished in every fiber of its being for the person that the voice called for. The voice called one thing and one thing only. It yelled his name.

"Sasuke-san?!"

Onyx eyes fluttered slightly as he pushed himself away from the arm that held him up right. _These damn visions! Are they a side effect of my new eyes?! Will I be cursed to forever hear the calls of that fucking dobe?!_

"Sasuke-san, are you alright?"

"It's nothing." _I need to find Naruto…if for nothing else…to make sure that he is still alive._

_--------------------------------------------_

A/N: TBC? Please review and let me know. Thank you for reading!! =bows=

P.S. For those of you who don't already this is going to be a Continuation Fic.

Japanese words to know:

Godaime –Fifth Hokage

Yondaime- Fourth Hokage

Kunai – leaf-shaped blade with a handle with a ring at the end

San – suffix for Mr./Miss/Mrs

Chan/Kun- suffix usually added to the end of a name between friends or when someone older is talking to a child or someone younger then themselves

Sama – suffix for Lord/Lady

Kyuubi – nine tails

Hokage – The Fire Leader of the Shinobi

Shinobi - Is a ninja though technically it means, basically, one who is skilled in stealth

Jutsu - techinque


	2. Chapter One: Passing of Time

A/N: Hello again everyone!! Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, and alerting!! I can't believe that I got four reviews!! Thank you again!! I am currently finishing up my days off from work and thought that I would update again before I get back to work.

**Warning**: This fic is yaoi. If you don't like than don't read! There is going to be **spoilers** throughout this story as it takes place one year after chapter 430 of the manga. There will be the occasional OC but they will be filler characters that don't have a major role in the story. The Naruto characters will be as IC as plot possible but there will more than likely be some OOC.

**Blanket Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters, places, or jutsu. I do however own this plot, any OC's I create, and any jutsu that I make up.

----------- scene break

_Italics_ – thoughts

_**Bold Italic**_** – **Kyuubi's thoughts

-=-=- flashback/dream

**Naruto: Sage Chronicles**

**Chapter One: Passing of Time**

Sakura wasn't the most patient of people. Well she was but not when it came to a certain blonde haired shinobi who went by the name of Naruto. From her current location, pacing up and down the hallway of Naruto's apartment, she could clearly hear Naruto getting ready. A small smile played on her lips. She never would have imaged the shinobi that Naruto would become. When she was younger the hyper active surprise ninja annoyed her to no end. All she could think about was Sasuke-kun. Nothing and no one else mattered. But now…

Sakura stopped her pacing as she stared at the plain door that led into Naruto's apartment. She still thought about Sasuke-kun but it wasn't the same to her anymore. She cared for the dark haired teen still but she now knew that her 'love' for him wasn't true. She prayed every night for Sasuke-kun's safe return but now she just thought of him as a friend.

The pink haired girl sighed softly as she crossed her arms. More and more lately she had been thinking about Naruto. Naruto…the one that never gave up. The one that would train till all hours and push his body harder and further than anyone. The one that had managed to defeat Pein and save the village and in doing so Naruto finally got what he always wanted. The people of the village now completely and utterly trusted, acknowledged, and pretty much worshiped Naruto.

Her smile grew as memories of Naruto blushing at the villagers that came up to him after the battle and thanked him, praised him, and some even apologized to him. The blush was cute on his tanned face and his blue eyes shimmered with tears. She knew how much Naruto fought for the people and for the people to finally see Naruto as Naruto and not Kyuubi was the biggest thing that had ever happened to the poor boy.

Sakura felt her cheeks warming as she placed a hand on her heated cheek. She had been doing that a lot lately as she thought about Naruto. There was something about the teen that she couldn't put her finger on but whenever she saw Naruto, thought about him, or and especially when he looked at her, she could feel her face warming and her heart fluttered strangely in her chest.

A frown marred her face slightly as she thought about the other girls that currently thought Naruto was different. The sage couldn't even go out into the village without being stopped by some random girl who wanted to talk to him. _They are all just a bunch of wannabes! Just because Naruto is now very strong, he has matured A LOT but he's still funny and down to earth they all want him! But did they care about him when he was working hard and trying to become better for the village?! NO! I was there!_

"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura yelped as she turned and almost decked the one that called her name. There standing behind her was Naruto, who was wearing an amused grin on his face. "N-Naruto…when did you?"

Naruto smiled as he closed his door and locked it. "You looked pretty deep in thought. I wasn't going to say anything but your face was getting angrier and angrier so I thought…"

Sakura laughed nervously. _Great I was getting all worked up over nothing and looked like an idiot in front of Naruto!_ "Yeah…I was just thinking about something stupid…"

Naruto cocked at eyebrow at her but didn't say anything as he walked towards her. Sakura couldn't help but ogle him. Over the past year Naruto had changed a lot and, in her opinion, in a very good way. Though she did miss the huge amounts of orange he wore he now donned the attire and appearance of a true Sage.

Naruto had long ago stopped wearing his normal orange jumpsuit. Well at least it seemed like a long time ago but it actually happened over the course of the year since he became a Sage. Now the blonde teen wore knee high deep black-blue combat sandals with Konoha's symbol in silver at the ankles. His pants were quite a bit tighter and were a midnight black with orange strips running up the outside of his legs. Sakura's head cocked as she continued to give Naruto the once over.

Wrapped around his waist was an orange cord rope that easily wrapped his narrow waist twice before the long tasseled end hung limply at his left side. His orange and black jacket had been replaced with a midnight black haori with orange as the collar stripe. The very deep 'v' of the haori displayed his mesh undershirt. Over all of this he wore his Sage Haori of deep blood red with black flames at the hem and around the sleeves.

Sakura smiled softly as she stared at the necklace that hung around his neck. She had seen Naruto wearing it a long time ago but never knew where he had gotten it. Finally one day she asked the teen and he said that he got it from Shishou when he learned Rasengan. It was the most precious thing he owned, he told her, and said that he would never take it off.

"Sakura-chan…why are you staring at me like that? Do I have something on my clothes?" Sakura blinked as Naruto's voice washed over her mummified brain. Naruto was currently looking down at himself and she quickly turned away.

"No I was…well…" Sakura growled at herself mentally before turning around and smiling at Naruto. "We should get going. Sai and Kakashi-sensei are waiting for us."

Naruto grinned as he walked towards her. "Well Sai is probably waiting for us but I don't think Kakashi-sensei will even be there."

Sakura laughed softly as she followed after Naruto, "You're probably right."

--------------------

Sasuke tried his best to ignore his now awakened team. They were going on and on about entering Konoha and looking for somewhere to eat. Though he had stated that they would not be entering the village they were getting louder and louder about the whole thing.

"They didn't notice us enter the barrier so I don't see why we can't just go don't there and. Get. Something. To. Fucking. EAT!" Sasuke's eyebrow twitched as the voice of Suigetsu grew louder and louder.

"Shut up you ungrateful brat! Sasuke-sama stated that we are not to enter the village! We have food here!" Karin's voice drifted to his ears and Sasuke couldn't help but grind his teeth. The woman was useful but she drove him crazy.

Sasuke pushed away from the tree that he was leaning on and turned towards his team. Jugo was the only one that was quiet but he was covered by at least six little twittering birds. Their earlier conversation came back to the Uchiha as the birds continued to sing to the silent giant. _Naruto…he became a Sage…what a fucking idiot. That is another sure fire way to draw attention to one's self!_

"Oi Sasuke! So what's the game plan?!"

Onyx eyes flicked to the white haired sword wielder. "We will be entering Konoha tomorrow. I will seek out the Hokage by _myself_."

Karin bit at her lower lip, "But Sasuke-sama what if it's a trap?"

Sasuke huffed as he crossed his arms. "It's not a trap."

Karin pulled at her red hair slightly, "But the ninja of Konoha—"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "They are honorable shinobi. They would not set a trap."

Suigetsu laughed, "Yeah sure Sasuke! Real honorable! Your history with them is a shining example of how honorable they are—"Suigetsu's eyes widened slightly as he felt the cool steal of Sasuke's blade against his threat.

Sasuke had heard enough. The damn white haired _boy_ didn't know anything about Konoha. Though, Sasuke hated to think it, he didn't know all that much either. His world was still flipped around. Everything that Itachi had said. Everything that Mandara had said. _Then_ everything that was released by the Godaime. His head was about to explode but he wanted the truth from the only source that he had yet to talk to.

"Easy there spiky head. I was just saying…" Sasuke smirked as Suigetsu laughed nervously.

"You know nothing so keep that trap of yours shut." Sasuke drew back his blade and sheathed it while he backed away from Suigetsu. Suigetsu's muttering lingered in the air as the onyx eyed teen walked into the trees and away from his team.

He needed to talk to the current Hokage. It would have been more beneficial for him if he was able to talk to the Sandaime but seeing as how he was now dead he would have to look to this Tsunade to answer his questions. Sasuke knew, in his heart, that what Mandara said was somewhat the truth but was it all the truth? Had the Sandaime actually tried to talk to Fugaku in order to stop the coupe from happening?

Sasuke growled in frustration as he continued to walk through the trees that lined the western gate of Konoha. He had walked this way many times over the course of his life within Konoha. He used to walk it alone until he met Naruto. The blonde energy ball had actually followed him one day to his secret training area. Sasuke smiled softly as he remembered the yelling match that had happened between the two of them when Sasuke had found out he had been followed.

Sasuke stopped walking as he turned his head towards the heavens. The sun had now fully risen and the warm bright rays of the sun peered down through the canopy of leaves that sheltered the Uchiha. The leaves were once again changing colour as autumn drew closer. It was only late September but the leaves were already starting to take on the multi tones of reds, yellows, and oranges. Sasuke's eyes lingered on a bright orange leaf. He had never seen such a vivid orange on a leaf before.

"Naruto…" Sasuke growled to himself as he tore his eyes away from the leaf. _What the hell is wrong with me! I see a fucking orange leaf and I think of the dobe! I have strange visions about him too!_ "What the hell is happening to me…"

"Sasuke-san?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. _At least I was followed by someone that isn't annoying._ "Yes Jugo."

"It's the birds again."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he glanced over his shoulder at the tall man, "And."

"The Golden Sage is near."

------------------------------

Naruto grinned as he leapt from building to building as no more than a blur. Sure he knew it was wrong of him to skip out on the meeting that Sakura-chan had come to get him for but he had other plans that needed to be done first. Plus was it his fault if Sakura-chan couldn't tell the difference between himself and one of his kage bunshin?

_Not to mention that when the meeting is over my kage bunshin will disappear and I will know what happened in the meeting anyways. This way I can work on my training._ His grin widened as the trees that hid his training grounds come into view.

_**But what if Kakashi-sensei learns that you are using one of your kage bunshin to attend the meeting? He will most likely destroy it.**_

Naruto laughed out loud as the thoughts of the Kyuubi entered his mind. It had taken him almost the whole year to finally figure out what to do about the Kyuubi inside him. While he trained in Myobukuzan he had started to feel the presence of the Kyuubi a lot clearer. As time passed and the threat to Konoha passed he started to look into the presence that he felt.

After months he finally managed to draw forth a presence that wasn't the usual malice infested chakra that equaled the Kyuubi. This presence was the _true_ Kyuubi. Kyuubi wasn't always the hateful, spiteful, and killing demon that it was today. Kyuubi was a guardian Bijuu. He watched over the forests, lakes and mountains. It wasn't until the Uchiha came and sealed it under their eyes that it started to go out of control and wanted nothing more than to destroy everything that it saw.

That's the main presence that was sealed within Naruto. But once he learned of the true presence of the Kyuubi he trained day and night to help free it from its own pain and suffering. Sure there was still the evil presence of the Kyuubi within him but now that he had freed the true spirit of Kyuubi they could work together to completely eliminate the evil chakra. Of course it didn't help that Naruto's own anger, hate and ill thoughts helped to fuel the darker side of Kyuubi. That was why he needed to 'grown up' as Kyuubi had said. That way he could look at all things from all angles and not just see the hatred in something.

_If Kakashi-sensei destroys the kage bunshin I will know about. He hasn't done it yet and as long as we reach the training ground they will be hard pressed to find me._

_**You are playing with fire again chibi kitsune. **_

_I know but how else are we to train? I don't like it all that much…okay I think it's funny but still… Baa-chan has been really busy with the Chunin exams that she won't see me. I want to find Sasuke but how can I get a mission to look for him if I can't even see her! So we train._

_**You are growing chibi kitsune. Yes we will train. The evil chakra is still very high. It has lost a lot of its power over you because you no longer go to it but you still must be careful of it.**_

_We__ must be careful of it._ Naruto felt Kyuubi nod his agreement as they landed on a large knotted branch of the first trees of the forest. The sweet scent of the foliage washed over Naruto as he continued his trek into the forest. This was where he had followed Sasuke to when they first became teammates. He hated the fact that he didn't know where Sasuke trained and one day decided to follow the stuck up gaki.

What he had found took his breath away. The forest training area. The beautiful waterfall that fell into a large lake. The valley of boulders. It was all perfect for someone who wished to train in the arts of the shinobi. Sasuke, of course, was pissed that Naruto had managed to tail him but soon it become a regular thing for the two of them to be off in the Uchiha training grounds.

Trees blurred passed Naruto in a blur of autumn colours. He knew that he didn't have much time to get there before his kage bunshin arrived at the meeting place. He would still have a little time as Kakashi-sensei was never on time but he still wanted to be well into the training grounds before that happened. The Uchiha Clan had taken extreme measures to protect the area that they trained in as they didn't want others to find them thus it made it the perfect place for him to train and unleash his chakra.

The sounds of water splashing drew his attention as a he leapt from the trees and landed silently on the soft sandy shore of the lake. He had been training on his natural chakra control of water. He couldn't use water jutsu as he was not affiliated with that element but his scroll was unlocking some really amazing abilities of someone in sage mode.

_**I will keep a watch on the seal within you chibi kitsune as you train. That much chakra always makes the evil one restless. You can train with only half of my chakra at your command.**_

_Only half?! But Kyuubi—_

_**Half if more than enough! Are you planning on blowing up the lake? You still need to learn better control. Use your own chakra at first and then when you have better control call on mine.**_

_Fine!_ Kyuubi snickered in his mind as his raised his hands. It had become second nature to him to perform the hand seals that summoned his scroll. Once he learned the seals he decided not to carry his scroll. Well he always carried it on his person when he went on missions but when he was in the village it stayed in his apartment until he needed it.

A soft pop and a puff of smoke announced the arrival of his scroll. He gently placed his hand on it before laying it gently in the grass. The wind played with his hair as he sat down on the other side of his scroll. He sat cross legged as he rested his hands in his lap. He slowed his breathing as he blue eyes closed. The whole area lit up as he called forth nature's energy.

----------------------------

Tsunade walked through the forest admiring the soft colours of the newly changed leaves. Shizune walked slightly behind her as they made their way towards the training grounds that Tsunade knew housed one gaki. She knew that Naruto would not be going to meet with his teammates. Well at least not the real one.

Tsunade smiled softly as she walked. The gaki was getting stronger and stronger with each passing day. When Naruto had told her the story about the Kyuubi within him she was worried. She didn't want Naruto to talk with the beast but as time went by she knew that he hadn't listened to her but it was actually for the better. Yamato had said that he was no longer needed to govern over the gaki as he trained because the evil red chakra had been sealed even better within the boy.

But that still didn't mean that she didn't worry about it. The Kyuubi was a dangerous demon no matter what Naruto said on the subject. She didn't want him to try and use the power that was within him as she feared what would happen. Jiraiya had told her all about what Naruto was like when the Kyuubi was unleashed and the last thing she wanted was for that to happen again.

"Tsunade-sama are you sure about this?"

Tsunade smiled slightly at the worried look on her assistants face. "I can't keep putting him off. He will end up leaving on his own if I don't let him go. It has been a year since Akatsuki attacked and we have not heard a single thing about what they are up to now. I was using the possibility of the Akatsuki finding him as an excuse to keep him here."

"Yes I understand but to let Naruto-kun go now…"

Tsunade sighed, "What better time. I will, of course, ask Naruto again to take part in the Chunin exams but I can't force him. If he says no I will send him off to look for Uchiha Sasuke. It will be limited to a one month period as this is how long the exams are but it will please Naruto."

Shizune smiled slightly but the worry still didn't leave her eyes. Tsunade couldn't blame her. Naruto had saved her life. If it wasn't for Naruto's sage jutsu Shizune would be an empty shell. Most of the villagers hated to see Naruto leave on missions. They wanted him to become a Chunin so that she, the Godaime, could promote him to a Jonin.

It still surprised Tsunade how much the village changed after the attack. They all saw Naruto in a different light. He was the boy that no loved or cared about. But now he was the strong powerful Sage who had surpassed not only his former teacher, Jiraiya, but also surpassed the Yondaime. They didn't want Naruto out of the village very much because if they were attacked again Naruto was the key to victory. _But what they don't realize is that Naruto is first and foremost a shinobi and his duty leads him to take mission for the good of the village._

"Ts—Tsunade-sama…"

Shizune's awed voice drew Tsunade from her musing as she turned to look at the dark haired woman. Shizune was standing with her mouth hanging open and was shakily pointing ahead of her. Tsunade's eyebrow rose as she turned her head in the direction that Shizune was pointing.

Tsunade's jaw dropped at what was before her. They had reached the lake and standing in the middle of the lake was Naruto. But what drew her attention was the fact that Naruto was practicing his frog fu onto of the water and the water was whipping around him as he did his movements. The more the gaki moved the more the water whipped up around him. She had never seen anything like it before.

Long thick ropes of water coiled up from the main body. As Naruto moved from stance to stance the great serpents of water dipped, thrashed, and whipped out. Tsunade stared in awe at the boy who was no longer a mere gaki but a Sage. Naruto's golden eyes flicked around and watched with extreme concentration as he moved with the grace of a dancer upon the water.

"I've never seen anything like this before. I never knew that Naruto-kun was an affiliate for water." Shizune's voice once again drew the Godaime's attention.

"Yamato said that Naruto's element is wind. I believe that this is one of the abilities of his Sage training." Tsunade grinned as she stepped towards the lake. _Let's see how well he can concentrate on that if I do this…_ Tsunade's grin widened as she drew in a deep breath. "Oi! Gaki!"

A startled yelp was Naruto's reply as the water crashed down around him. Great waves lapped at the shore as Naruto glared at the Godaime. The gaki's skin was flushed with a light sheen of sweat as he walked across the lake and towards the one that had yelled out to him.

"What the hell Baa-chan?! I was training!"

Tsunade laughed softly as Naruto came to stop a few feet from her. "Training? Aren't you supposed to be in a meeting with Kakashi and the other members of Team Kakashi?"

Naruto's jaw dropped as a light dusting of pink adored his cheeks, "Uhm…"

Tsunade crossed her arms, "Well?"

Naruto grinned as he scratched the back of his head, "Sorry?"

Tsunade just shook her head, "I was looking for you."

Naruto's eyebrows rose slightly as he walked towards his scroll. Tsunade could just make out some strange markings on the page before Naruto rolled it closed. "Yeah?"

"I want you to take the Chunin exams." _There's no point in beating around the bush. I want him to give me an actual answer this time and not just a 'I refuse'._

"No."

"Why?" Tsunade glared at the back of Naruto's head as the boy flung his scroll over his shoulder where it came to a rest at the small of his back.

"I just can't right now."

"Why?"

Naruto growled softly as he turned back towards the Godaime. "Why can't you send me on a mission to find Sasuke?"

Tsunade let lose her own small growl. "Answer my question gaki."

Naruto's fox like grin appeared on his face as his golden sage eyes danced with merriment and mischief. "I'll answer you if you agree to allow me to go and look for Sasuke."

Tsunade grinned. _Well I was going to let him anyways. This way I finally get my answer._ "All right."

"Then I won't tell yo—wait what?!"

Tsunade laughed at Naruto's deadpan expression, "I said all right. If you tell me why you refuse to take the Chunin exam I will let you go and look for Sasuke."

A huge grin appeared on the blonde's face. "Are you serious?"

Tsunade smiled in return, "I'm serious. So why?"

"Sasuke and I made a promise at the last Chunin exam. We were going to find out who was stronger in front of everyone at the exam. But with Orochimaru attacking and the thing with Gaara well we never got a chance. I want to take the exam with Sasuke. And since he has been pardoned he can go with me!"

Tsunade smiled at the bubbling attitude of the gaki shinobi in front of her. The boy was a ball full of energy. She never thought that _that_ would have been the reason why he didn't want to take the exam but now that she thought about it did make sense that the boy wanted to wait for Sasuke. After all the two of them have been rivals for years. _Oh but the poor stadium after their battle…_

"So when do I leave?!"

Tsunade blinked and backed up suddenly as the blonde was now a few inches from her face. "I will be sending you to Suna first. The Kazekage wants me to send you to report on his preparations on the Chunin exam. It will take you only a few days there to make your report and after that…"

Naruto grinned, "Okay I can do that!"

"Listen to me gaki!" Tsunade shook her head slightly. _Ball of energy?! More like a Bomb of energy!_ "Once you are finished in Suna you have one month to search for Sasuke before you must report back to Konoha."

Naruto jumped into the air and cheered. "Just you want Sasuke I'm going to find you! You hear me Sasuke!"

Tsunade laughed softly, "You can leave whenever you are ready."

Naruto instantly stopped leaping around, "Really?"

Tsunade crossed her arms, "I don't like repeating myself gaki."

"Yes! I'll just grab a few things from my apartment and then head from there to see Gaara!" Tsunade opened her mouth to speak but instead her jaw dropped. In a whirl of leaves and wind Naruto vanished from the shore of the lake. _I didn't even know he could do that?! You truly are the number one surprise ninja Naruto!_

"No! Naruto dobe!"

Tsunade turned around at the sudden yelling behind and froze. Black-blue hair framed a pale face. Onyx eyes stared in the place that Naruto had been standing in a few moments ago. A white haori, almost completely left open, donned his top portion as a large thick purple rope wrapped around his waist. She had seen pictures of the teen from the underground base that they raided almost two years ago.

"Uchiha…Sasuke…?"

Onyx eyes turned to look at her. They were deep and drew one in as you stared at them. But hidden within the depths of the endless black crystals was an underlying emotion. An extreme sense of worry flashed through the ethereal depths of Uchiha Sasuke's eyes.

"Why did you let him go?!"

---------------------------

A/N: So here was the first official chapter of my story. I hope you all liked it!! Again thank you all for reading, reviewing, and alerting! I hope this chapter gets more than four reviews but I will happy either way!! =bows= Bitter

Japanese words to know: Godaime –Fifth Hokage

Yondaime- Fourth Hokage

Kunai – leaf-shaped blade with a handle with a ring at the end

San – suffix for Mr./Miss/Mrs

Chan/Kun- suffix usually added to the end of a name between friends or when someone older is talking to a child or someone younger then themselves

Sama – suffix for Lord/Lady

Kyuubi – nine tails

Hokage – The Fire Leader of the Shinobi

Shinobi - Is a ninja though technically it means, basically, one who is skilled in stealth

Jutsu - technique

Kage Bunshin – Naruto's shadow clone jutsu

Suna – Sand Country

Baa-chan – Grandma

Myobukuzan – The Frog Village

Sandaime – Third Hokage

Gaki – brat

Kazekage – Leader of the Sand Shinobi

Dobe - Sasuke's term for Naruto meaning 'dead last'


	3. Chapter Two: Welcome Home?

A/N: Oh my goodness thank you all again for reading, reviewing, and alerting!! I really shouldn't be updating again as I have to work tomorrow and whenever I start a chapter I always feel the need to finish before I go to bed. So with that said I will probably start updating every couple of days. I will try a lot harder to update at a faster pace but no promises. Also the more everyone reviews the faster I am at updating. I know all authors say this but it is extremely true!

**Warning**: This fic is yaoi. If you don't like than don't read! There is going to be **spoilers** throughout this story as it takes place one year after chapter 430 of the manga. There will be the occasional OC but they will be filler characters that don't have a major role in the story. The Naruto characters will be as IC as plot possible but there will more than likely be some OOC.

**Blanket Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters, places, or jutsu. I do however own this plot, any OC's I create, and any jutsu that I make up.

----------- scene break

_Italics_ – thoughts

_**Bold Italic**_** – **Kyuubi's thoughts

-=-=- flashback/dream

**Naruto: Sage Chronicles**

**Chapter Two: Welcome Home…?**

The forest was serene, calm, and had a certain tranquil quality to it. Sasuke couldn't remember a time when the forest had felt this welcoming, this peaceful. In all the years that the Uchiha Clan had called these woods their own he had never felt the peace that he now felt. Something was calling to the trees, the birds, and, it seemed, the very essence of the life that surrounded him. Sasuke was never one to really notice these things but it was as if it was in the very air that he breathed.

The tall giant, Jugo, walked silently beside him. The chattering little birds had quieted down and now they birds seemed to be waiting for something. Karin walked slightly beside Jugo and for once the red head was actually silent; though Sasuke knew this was not to last.

"Ne, Jugo?"

Sasuke stared ahead as Karin 'tried' to talk to Jugo. Sasuke had the feeling that Jugo didn't really enjoy talking with the girl. After all Sasuke himself didn't enjoy talking with her either. If she wasn't great at sensing chakra he wouldn't have even added her to his team. But what drove him crazy the most was the fact that she liked to fawn herself all over him. He never showed that he hated it but if he ever did he knew that Karin would be an emotional wreck.

Over this time away from Konoha he had come to realize one thing. Naruto. The blonde haired hyper active shinobi was always on his thoughts. At first he just played his thoughts to their rivalry. But as the time of their separation grew he came to realize, once again, that his thoughts were not centered around being stronger, better or more powerful then the Jinchuuriki. No his thoughts were _on_ the blonde. He wanted to have Naruto to himself. He wanted to own, possess, and be the only thoughts that Naruto himself had.

"Yes Karin?"

Sasuke smirked to himself. _So Jugo can talk when he really wants to. Though I do enjoy his silent company._ Sasuke pushed a low hanging branch out of his way as they continued on their little trek through the forest. He knew that there was a lake nearby and he had every intention of bathing.

"Why are you following Sasuke-sama?"

A light chuckle sounded behind him before Jugo's voice once again filled the early morning air. "The birds have been talking almost nonstop about the Golden Sage and I wish to see this person."

Karin huffed, "You are your birds. I mean really how can _birds_ tell you about this Golden Sage!? If there was such a person I wou—"

Sasuke stopped walking as he turned around to look as to why Karin had stopped talking. Her eyes were closed and she had a strange soft look upon her face. Sasuke shuttered slightly as a chill ran up his spine. There was something near them. It was gathering…energy?! "Karin?"

"Sasuke-sama…this is amazing!" Her voice was merely a whisper as she exhausted softly. Her red eyes opened as she smiled at the Uchiha in front of her. "I have never felt anything like this before. It's coming from straight ahead." Before Sasuke could ask her anything else she bolted towards the lake.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he looked in the direction that the fiery red hair had just run. "Come on Jugo."

"Hai Sasuke-sama."

The forest blurred past the two Team Hawk members as they followed after Karin. Sasuke didn't even know that Karin was able to run that fast. Blurs of colours flashed past as he gained on the girl. Sasuke's brow furrowed as said girl suddenly stopped and he, Sasuke, had to back pedal slightly as to avoid hitting her. They had reached the lake.

The three teammates stood atop a cliff near the waterfall that fell into the lake. Trees guarded them from view and the roar of the waterfall muted anything that they would be saying to each other. Sasuke looked over at Karin and was shocked to see that she was blushing brightly as she stared intently at the shore of the lake. Sasuke shook his head slightly as he too looked in the same direction.

Onyx eyes widened at what he saw. Sitting, crossed legged, upon the sandy shore was none other than the person that had been plaguing his thoughts for years. Golden hair, a lot longer than he remembered, sat in an orange tie at the nap of his neck. The golden hair swayed and flicked in the morning breeze as the shinobi sat in complete silence. _Naruto…_

"It's amazing…"

Sasuke tore his eyes away from the blonde to look upon the one whose words broke over him. Karin was staring at the shinobi with wide admiring eyes. "What?"

Karin's eyes flicked momentarily to Sasuke before once again looking down at Naruto. "I've never felt this before. I don't think its chakra that I am feeling. It's like…I mean I think…"

Jugo walked up on the other side of Karin as he too let his gaze fall to the blonde haired teen. "What are you talking about Karin?"

"It's as if that golden haired man down there is calling to the very _Earth_! Everything in the area is going to him. Pure and untamed energy is flowing towards him _and_ the strange thing is is that his body is absorbing it at a fast pace."

Sasuke's eyebrow rose slightly as he turned to once again look at the object of his thoughts. _Is this the power of the Sage's? Is Naruto really and truly a Sage? I never would have even thought it possible for the air head to get this strong._ Sasuke couldn't seem to draw his eyes away from the scene below.

Onyx eyes flashed to a deep red as he stared harder at the Jinchuuriki. His eyes told in everything around him. The swaying of the grass in the wind. The spray from the waterfall. The large and frothing bubbles that were created upon the water of the waterfall impacting with the lake. But what had him hypnotized that most was Naruto. Strange swirls of energy whipped all around and traveled towards the boy.

_What have you become dobe?! How are you doing this? Even my sharigan can't see what it is that you are doing. Does this mean that the Sage jutsu is in the same league as a bloodline limit?_ The energy pulled faster and faster towards Naruto as the boy's breathing increased. Sasuke could no longer tell the difference between Naruto's body and the energy that was pulling into it. Suddenly Sasuke's eyes widened as the energy flashed and Naruto was momentarily covered in a cloud of smoke.

"I can't believe that I am feeling this?! This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen! Not to mention that that golden haired man is _very_ good looking!"

Sasuke growled softly, which was carried away by the sounds of the rushing water, as he turned to glare at Karin. Karin, for her part, wasn't even paying Sasuke the least bit of attention. Her eyes seemed to only have one target and that target was his blonde haired shinobi. _Hn! She needs to keep those eyes of hers in her head! He's not a piece of meat!_ Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he turned away from the others. _Where they hell did that come from?!_

Deep rich laughter reached his ears as he once again turned towards the beach. He could now see Naruto perfectly without the smoke that had covered him a few moments earlier. Sasuke's eyes widened as he now gazed down upon Naruto. His eyes were no longer the crystal clear azure that he envisioned all the time but they were now a deep rich gold with strange sideways pupils. Deep red eye makeup of sorts were around his eyes. But what drew him was the fact the Naruto seemed to be talking to himself.

"That must be what a Sage looks like. The birds say that every day the Golden Sage comes here and trains. He is doing something with the water."

"Strange…" Sasuke glanced back as Karin stared with analyzing eyes.

"What Karin?" Sasuke couldn't help but feel, once again, annoyed at the fact that she was staring so much at Naruto.

"I can't sense him anymore. I mean I can see him. I saw all the energy that he gathered but I can't _sense_ his presence anymore. If I wasn't looking at him right now I wouldn't even think that anyone was in the area."

"What?!" Sasuke turned back to look down at Naruto. The teen was currently opening a large scroll and his brows were drawn together as he obviously read something within the roll of paper.

"I can't explain it Sasuke-sama. I've never witnessed a Sage before. Orochimaru never had a chance to get his hands on one. I do, though, remember him talking about trying to get some Toad hermit to transform in front of him but I don't see how that comes into play with Sages."

Sasuke just growled, frowned, and crossed him arms. He didn't have a clue about Sages. Everything he had been taught about Sages from Orochimaru spoke of people running from Sages as they were pretty much an all powerful source. When Sasuke had questioned Orochimaru about Sages the snake just smirked and told him one thing. He told Sasuke that if he was every faced with a Sage that they only thing that he should do is run. And hope that he was faster than the Sage.

Sasuke was drawn from his misusing as Naruto stood and started to walk towards the lake. Upon his first step on the lake he could tell that Naruto had been here many times. He was not hesitant in any of his steps. Karin and Jugo were muttering behind him but his eyes and thoughts were solely on the teen. Once the golden haired shinobi reached about half way out he took up a stance. _I've never seen that stance before. What are you doing Naruto?_

Karin's gasp thankfully overshadowed Sasuke's as the water around Naruto started to swirl, whip and finally bubble up around him. The next thing Sasuke knew he was completely and utterly entranced by the Sage upon the water. The lithe form of Naruto moved effortlessly from stance to stance as the water churned and followed the graceful dance of skill and agility. Faster and faster the lean body moved and as he did so so did the water.

Sasuke was so absorbed in watching the dobe that he failed to noticed that they were not the only ones watching the performance on the water. Sasuke jumped slightly as a loud female voice screamed over the sounds of the both the waterfall and the soft splashing and churning that the water whips were making.

"Oi! Gaki!"

Sasuke smirked as Naruto yelled out and stopped his training. The water crashed down around him as he turned his attention to the two women on the shore. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he spoke to the two. Slowly he walked across the water until he was standing in front of them.

"A Sage is truly interesting. I would love to study him."

Sasuke turned away from the scene of Naruto talking to the two women and settled for looking at Karin. "What are you talking about now?"

Karin's glasses glinted in the morning sun as she adjusted them on her face. "While the Sage was training on the water I could sense him but it was actually very hard. I could only sense him because I had felt the Sage coming upon the energy. You see Sasuke-sama I don't think that the Sage was using any jutsu at all during his training."

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he gave the girl a quizzical look. "He wasn't using jutsu?"

"I didn't feel any chakra in the forms that he was making. It was more like he was pushing and pulling the energy within the water. The energy was like the energy that the Sage had collected. It makes me wonder if Sages can control an element through simply pushing and pulling the energy that is within the element themselves…"

"That's an interesting idea."

Sasuke glanced at Jugo who seemed to be looking over his shoulder. The silent giant seemed to be watching the conversation that was happening between Naruto and the women. Sasuke on the other hand was still waiting for Karin to continue to explain her theory.

"Just you wait Sasuke I'm going to find you! You hear me Sasuke!"

Sasuke jumped slightly as Naruto's voice carried over the area. He slowly turned around but as he did so he was suddenly overwhelmed by a spell of dizziness. Once again his mind was plunged into a sea of darkness as the sounds of battle rang throughout his mind. The screams of the people fighting. The sound of metal ringing against metal but the worst thing was he could once again hear the soft, sweet voice of Naruto calling out to him. The boy's pain clearly ringing through his voice.

"Sasuke-sama?!" Sasuke ignored his teammates as he leapt from the cliff. There was only one thought running swiftly through his head. He needed to get to Naruto. The strange visions that entered his mind were more and more frequent and he knew, he just _knew_, that something was coming after the boy. Sasuke's eyes widened as Naruto vanished in a swirl of wind and leaves.

"No! Naruto dobe!"

The tall busty blonde woman turned to face him. Her mocha eyes widened as she stared at the breathless Uchiha. _Fuck! FUCK! Where the hell did he just go!_

"Uchiha…Sasuke…?"

His onyx eyes flicked to the woman as he grew more and more angry. _Naruto just fucking disappeared! What had they been talking about?!_ "Why did you let him go?!"

-----------------

Azure eyes flashed opened as he appeared in his apartment. He was so excited that he couldn't seem to think of what to do first. He had finally been allowed to go and look for Sasuke. Or course he had to go and see Gaara first that he was actually looking very forward to that too. He hadn't seen his friend in a year.

_**Calm yourself chibi kitsune. Think about what you need to do so that we can leave.**_

"I can't! I can't believe that we are finally going to start searching for Sasuke again!" Naruto was so excited that he couldn't even keep his thoughts to himself. He knew that this was a bad idea as Tsunade had asked him not to speak to Kyuubi a loud but he didn't really care at the moment.

_**Well first thing you need to go is to make sure that you have packed your weapons. Then you will need your sleeping gear, some food, and a change of clothing.**_

"Okay…" Naruto breathed deeply as he started on his trek around his apartment. Every once and while Kyuubi would made a comment on something that he had forgotten and then he would fluster about once again.

"Kyuubi?" Naruto stated as he concentrated on packing up his pack.

_**Yes chibi kitsune?**_

"Do you think that we will finally find Sasuke? I mean I will never stop looking for him but I keep getting the feeling that he is moving further and further away from him."

_**What does your heart tell you? **_

Naruto stopped packing as he closed his eyes. His heart? His heart wanted Sasuke back. His heart never wanted Sasuke to leave in the first place. His heart was telling him that this time he would find the raven haired teen. But his heart was unsure if he would be able to actually convince him to come home.

"I know what my hearts wants. Strangely enough it has always known what it has wanted when it comes to looking for Sasuke but what it doesn't know is…is…"

_**Is if you will actually be able to bring him back?**_

Naruto sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah. I don't want to fight him to come back but at the same time I don't care if I have to beat him into a bloody pulp just to make sure that he _does_ come back with me."

_**Chibi kitsune there is no point in thinking such things now. First and foremost we need to find him. That should be all we are thinking about. It has been a long road for you and your search. It's high time that you start thinking about finding Sasuke in steps.**_

Naruto zipped his pack closed as his eyebrows drew together in confusion. "In steps?"

_**Yes in steps. You are worrying yourself because you are thinking of the whole picture. Trying thinking of this in steps. Step one is finding Sasuke. Step two could be talking to him. Step three is seeing if he will come home with you. And so on and so forth.**_

Naruto grinned as he swung his bag over his shoulder. "I like that. Okay than off to step one!"

_**Wait a minute how are you planning on getting to Suna?**_

Naruto laughed nervously. "Uhm…I was thinking of teleporting there…not a good idea?"

Naruto could hear the Kyuubi sigh within the confines of his mind. _**You have just managed to actually teleport. The Time/Space jutsu isn't something to be taken lightly. Remember you have to be able to visualize your destination perfectly or it won't work.**_

Naruto frowned as he adjusted the pack on his shoulders. "I know that! I have been in Gaara's office before!"

_**That may be true but there are two things wrong with that idea.**_

Naruto glared at the wall. He wasn't able to glare at Kyuubi so the poor wall was going to feel his wrath. "Okay all high and mighty Kyuubi tell me what is wrong with my plan."

_**You are far too young to be cheeky with my chibi kitsune! One is what if Gaara-nii-san changed his office around and you end with half a plant or a piece of furniture through your body.**_Naruto cringed at the thought. He had no idea what kind of jutsu he would have to use to get himself out of the object that could be going through his body. _**And two is that what would happen if you all of a sudden showed up in Gaara's **__personal__** office. His guards might actually attack you!**_

Naruto frowned as he turned his attention to the window. It was still very early morning as the sun had just appeared above the horizon. "Fine I will take my time. I have some places memorized on the way there. It will take longer but it will make sure that I don't end up with something half in and half out of my body _plus_ I won't have to worry about guards attacking.

_**Sounds like a plan to me.**_

Naruto laughed as he shook his head. Ever since he had managed to free the true spirit of the Kyuubi there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't converse with the spirit. Kyuubi was always very helpful when he needed it and was the voice of reason to him. Though he had grown quite a lot over the years he still had a knack for jumping into something, when excited, without thinking first. Kyuubi always managed to help him.

Naruto hitched his bag and patted the strap to his scroll. _Finally! I didn't think that I would ever be allowed to leave the village to find Sasuke. I will find him! _Naruto closed his eyes as he envisioned his next stop. There were only a few places that he could instantly get to. His apartment for one, the old training grounds of team seven, his current training ground, and the Hokage Monument. Trees, brushes, a wide open field. Birds chirping, little rabbits hiding in the underbrush, insects dancing on the breeze. Faster and faster the images washed through his mind. The sights, the sounds, and the scent grew within him.

And on that cool autumn morning as the inhabitants of Konoha walked up and down the streets a young shinobi vanished from his apartment in a swirl of wind. No one noticed. No one heard his departure. No one was aware that Uzumaki Naruto was no longer within the village of Konoha.

----------------

Sakura advanced on the slightly trembling blonde in front of her. She was pissed. No. She was beyond pissed. _You'd think he would show up for his own meeting! But noooo…he sends one of his damn kage bunshin instead!_

"Now now Sakura-chan let's not do something that we will feel bad about later." The kage bunshin raised his hands out as if to defeat himself against the coming wrath of the medical ninja.

"Why didn't _you_ come to the meeting?! I thought that I made it clear to you that Kakashi-sensei was going to be giving us a meeting." Bright teal eyes flashed as the pinked haired girl slipped on her gloves.

"I will still know what happened at the meeting Sakura-chan. Once I disappear Naruto will know everything that happened!"

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she continued to stalk towards her _friend_. "That's not the point Naruto!"

The kage bunshin was sweating as he looked over at the amused face of their team leader. Kakashi-sensei was grinning or at least Sakura thought he was. He was still wearing his mask but she could just make out the slight dents at his cheeks to show that he was smiling under the fabric. Sai just smiled softly but made no move to stop her.

"Kakashi-sensei can't you stop her?! Naruto will need to know what is happening and he can't do that if I am destroyed by Sakura-chan."

Kakashi-sensei reached into his back pouch and pulled out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise. Sakura smirked as Naruto paled even more. "Now it is time to pay up Naruto. You shouldn't have sent a kage bunshin in your place."

Naruto licked his lips as he backed up even more. He suddenly bumped into the railing of the bridge that they were standing on. His attention was temporarily drawn to the object that he had backed into and Sakura took the weak moment as a sign. Without so much as a whisper in the wind Sakura leapt through the air, fist drawn back, and sailed towards Naruto.

The kage bunshin turned just as her fist descended upon him. "Wait Sakura! Don't destroy the dobe!" Sakura blanched at the sound of the voice but she couldn't stop herself. Her fist connected with the kage bunshin's chest and in a puff of smoke it vanished from the bridge.

"No!"

Sakura stood frozen; her arm still extended. _It…it can't be…can it…_ Slowly she turned her attention towards the voice that still rang throughout her head whenever she thought at the man. She felt light headed as her teal eyes fell upon the one person that she didn't think that she would ever see again.

"Sa…Sasuke-kun…?!"

Standing on the bridge's entrance was the man that she had last seen as a boy. His hair was the same and he was still dressed in the strange clothes that she had last seen him in when they found Orochimaru's underground lab.

"Sakura…"

Standing slightly behind Sasuke was her Shishou and her personal assistant Shizune. Sakura couldn't remember a time seeing that look on her Shishou's face. It was an odd mix of sorrow and…disappointment. "Shishou…is that…I mean is he…really…" Sakura lowered her arm and pulled it towards her chest.

The Godaime sighed, flicked her bangs, and nodded at her student. "Yes Sakura it is. Uchiha Sasuke is the one standing before you."

A burning, heating sensation jumped into her eyes as she stared at the boy who was now a man. _Oh my…he's back…he's back..he's back!_ Sakura gasped out a sob as he ran towards the raven haired man, who had yet to tear his eyes away from where the kage bunshin had been standing.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura could feel the tears running freely down her cheeks but she didn't care. All that mattered was that her old teammate, her friend, and her old love was now just a few feet from her. It felt like a dream and that at any moment she would wake up and find out that Sasuke had never been back in the village at all.

Sakura laughed and sobbed as she jumped at the boy; throwing her arms around his shoulders. She didn't care at that moment that he didn't move, that he didn't even make a move to show that she had just flung herself at him, nor did his breathing change. Tears blurred her vision as she buried her head into his chest. "Sasuke-kun!" Her voice was thick, tear logged, and didn't come out as anything more than a whisper.

"Naruto…no…"

Sakura sniffled as she pulled back slightly and gasped at what she saw. Sasuke's eyes were still trained on the bridge but so many emotions were rapidly running through his eyes that it was making her dizzy. Sakura glared slightly at Sasuke. _I am holding him being super excited to see him again and all he can do is stared at were the baka Naruto was?! I may have come to terms with the fact that I don't love Sasuke but he could at least say something to me._

Sakura reached up and gently turned his face to her. His eyes were dark, glazed, and hints of red ran through them. "Sasuke-kun…"

Sasuke blinked before he growled and grasped her shoulders. She couldn't stop the squeak that escaped her as she was roughly shaken by the raven. "What have you done!"

"Eh?!" Sakura could see that Sasuke was getting madder and madder. _What is he talking about?! He could have easily figured out that it was not the real Naruto. "_What are you talking about?"

"The Dobe!"

Sakura freed herself from Sasuke as a dark glare marred her pretty face. "It was just one of Naruto's kage bunshin Sasuke-kun! Naruto is just fine!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he growled. Without so much as a backward thought Sasuke turned on his heal and walked towards her Shishou. _What the hell?! The guy is gone for over three years and this is kind of treatment I get?! What the hell happened to you Sasuke-kun?! I know that you haven't always been the type to talk but really now it was just a kage bunshin!_

Sakura wrapped her arms around her waist as she watched the animated conversation happening between her Shishou and Sasuke-kun. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she softly spoke, "Welcome home Sasuke-kun…"

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A/N: Oh my goodness I am so tired. I hate work DX!!! I wasn't planning on updating this story until Saturday night but you have all been so wonderful with the reviews so I figured I could for go without some sleep to finish this chapter. Please continue to review!! They make me and let me know that my first fanfic is going okay!!! Hugs!!! =bows= Bitter

Japanese words to know: Godaime –Fifth Hokage

Yondaime- Fourth Hokage

Kunai – leaf-shaped blade with a handle with a ring at the end

San – suffix for Mr./Miss/Mrs

Chan/Kun- suffix usually added to the end of a name between friends or when someone older is talking to a child or someone younger then themselves

Sama – suffix for Lord/Lady

Kyuubi – nine tails

Hokage – The Fire Leader of the Shinobi

Shinobi - Is a ninja though technically it means, basically, one who is skilled in stealth

Jutsu - technique

Kage Bunshin – Naruto's shadow clone jutsu

Suna – Sand Country

Baa-chan – Grandma

Myobukuzan – The Frog Village

Sandaime – Third Hokage

Gaki – brat

Kazekage – Leader of the Sand Shinobi

Kitsune – fox

Chibi – little/small

Jinchuuriki – is a human who houses one of the nine demons

p.s. if I mention some Japanese words that I don't give the meaning to please let me know and I will make sure it gets added to the list. I always hated reading other people's work and didn't understand a Japanese word so that's why I made this table. Ja ne (bye bye) Bitter :)


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